Panthers $2B HQ Project Could Be ‘Permanently Abandoned’

The Carolina Panthers have been silent about their unfinished headquarters development, and a York County councilman told Charlotte Business Journal that he thinks the team has permanently abandoned the project.

Tepper Sports and Entertainment, the Panthers’ parent company, paused work on the 240-acre development nearly one month ago due to Rock Hill’s failure to distribute $225 million worth of bonds for infrastructure improvements.

“This is going to be a stain on our name for other businesses,” councilman Bump Roddey said, acknowledging that the city didn’t keep its end of the bargain. Roddey believes the Panthers will seek to recover their expenses from the city of Rock Hill.

• CBJ reported that earlier estimates showed private investment on the project would total as much as $2 billion upon completion, with local and state governments committing $400 million.
• The project included a 5,000-seat stadium field, an indoor practice center, and medical, training, and nutrition facilities. Tepper, which owns the plot, has plans to develop the area over the next 20 years.

Silence Speaks

Tepper Sports hasn’t commented on the project since its March statement, where it revealed it had already invested more than $170 million in the project. The company has also not agreed to a new financing program proposed by York County.

“My best guess is they’re not saying anything because they’re working on the legal part,” Roddey said. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster is more confident, commenting “we certainly think everything will be ironed out soon.”